


Soft As Thunder

by Gothams_Only_Wolf



Series: Oni, Inu, Ryū [3]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover Pairings, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, M/M, Multi, Non-Canon Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:34:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23371747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothams_Only_Wolf/pseuds/Gothams_Only_Wolf
Summary: There is always more to the world than what it appears to be; even for a rurouni.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, Himura Kenshin & Kamiya Kaoru, Himura Kenshin & Katsura Kogoro | Kido Takayoshi, Himura Kenshin & Sesshomaru, Himura Kenshin/Kamiya Kaoru, Himura Kenshin/Sesshomaru
Series: Oni, Inu, Ryū [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1684588
Comments: 95
Kudos: 160





	1. A Daiyōkai's Regard

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Vathara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vathara/gifts).
  * Inspired by [All I Need is a Miracle](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17127680) by [Vathara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vathara/pseuds/Vathara). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh this has been a long time coming but I'm dipping my foot into the world-building that's been going on for a While Now that started with Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi. 
> 
> Please enjoy! 
> 
> A Note: My Kenshin is inspired by Vathara's!

* * *

**-Kyoto, Temple, Meiji Revolution-**

* * *

The trouble with being called the Demon of Kyoto, he found, was that it attracted _real_ and incredibly dangerous yōkai. Yōkai he had to chase off or fight or _kill_ because they got too close to his Commander. 

For once, Katsura-san had rested in a temple which left Kenshin able to breathe a quiet sigh of relief. He slumped against the pillar of the inner courtyard, eyes warily seeking onmitsu and fell upon something _else_ entirely.

Daiyōkai, as blue-blooded as they came, for the markings of crescent moon and stripes were rarely together on the same face. White and red floated across the rooftop, landed in the courtyard with barely a whisper. 

"Forgive this one but he is not what was expected of the Demon of Kyoto." Gold met gold in a measure of strength. "A hitokiri in the service of Chosuu but no demon." 

Kenshin thought wryly about the rumors floating in enemy camps; ten feet tall, hair rich with the blood of his enemies, strength enough to take down oxen and men both. He was none of that but Kenshin preferred it that way; best for blending in crowds that covered his small stature. 

"Hitokiri wa hitokiri," He replied solemnly. "So long as you are not here to hurt those under his watch, he cannot be offended by such talk." 

"This one was unfinished and did not intend offense," the faint upward tilt of the matching golden gaze made Kenshin swear it was amusement, "for he _is_ hanyō. The first in centuries." 

"He would call you a liar, that he would. He is only human, that he is, with an ancient sword style." Kenshin argued quietly. "Only that and nothing more." 

"This one is inu daiyōkai and there is no fooling this one's nose." came the cool response. "... This one shall keep watch of him and warn him of three onmitsu on the way." 

"He-" Kenshin started to bark, teeth gritted in irritation before he felt the immense presence vanish. "He is exhausted, that he is, and the guard for Katsura-san will change soon. He will warn the others and let them do something about it, should it come to pass." 

The clash of swords never came as the onmitsu met with golden eyes and a glowing green whip.The Demon of Kyoto slept more soundly than he had in weeks, guarded by a daiyōkai intent on recording his story for generations to come.

* * *

****

**-Edo, Higurashi Shrine, Meiji Revolution-**

* * *

Kenshin dragged himself up the stairs with an equally exhausted Katsura-san. 

A temple, one that not even the Shisengumi would attack; it was rumored to be protected by a daiyōkai, fierce and uncaring of human turmoil. 

"He would bring human war upon this one's chosen territory?" The voice from Kyoto but tempered with amusement. "For a hitokiri and a hanyō, he is fond of temples." 

"He is less fond of finding out that yōkai are real, insist he is one of their rank and attack him unless he is on sacred ground, that he is." Kenshin sighed after he introduced himself and Katsura-san with two bows to the local _kami-sama_. He made an offering and prayed for Katsura-san, clapping his hands as it was quieter than ringing the bell and bowed again.

"Hanyō attract lesser demons but only those powerful enough to handle them." came the reply, white and red and fur stepping from the shadows. "This one is Sesshomaru. He is...?" 

"Himura, Himura Kenshin," he admitted with a put-upon sigh. 

"Hitokiri wa hitokiri indeed, little hanyō." Sesshomaru offered into the quiet night, watching as the fireflies flitted over the grounds. "Who thought his soul was a scarlet sword?" 

"... His Shishou, who named him," Kenshin reluctantly shared, hand gripping the handle of his katana and releasing it in the same breath. "Why does Sesshomaru-sama follow him? If he may not offend by his asking?" 

"No offense is taken, Himura-san," The wind ruffled the creamy mokomoko, obscuring Sesshomaru's face for a moment. "He is... He is a reminder, of ancient mien and style, of the Sengoku in this, the modern world. Where samurai have embodied the code they once swore to live by but have been corrupted by the passage of time. A remnant, however pleasing to the eye." 

"He would be offended, had not such been said of him before by drunken Ishin Shishi. As Kyoto stands, he is... mistaken for oiran and in particular..." Kenshin huffed out, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"Tayū. This one would not offer any, as it is not his face this one finds admiration worthy but his sword style," Sesshomaru countered, their words a quiet dance in the late summer evening. 

"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū?" This, Kenshin knew, was possible; Sesshomaru was daiyōkai and therefore capable of seeing the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū style in its full glory. "He is but a pitiful _student_ , that he is. Shishou would be ashamed of him and his alliance would make him no better than the rest of the hitokiri in Chosuu. The style, it's meant for neutrality." 

A white brow rose at that. "A dragon style and it's neutral? Color this one surprised as Heaven does not lightly choose its side. The dragon is balance, this one knows, for encountering enough evil dragons that he was bound to find good-" 

Kenshin shook his head, glanced at his hands and only saw what all true hitokiri saw: awash in blood, from the tops of his shoulders down to the tips of his tabi. "He speaks of his Shishou then, for he is not neutral and he is not Heaven's Wrath." 

"Tokugawa overstepped Heaven's Mandate," Sesshomaru offered after a long silence patched only by breathing. "Oni, not yōkai, but true oni are here in Edo, in support of the Shogun. Who but the dragon could counter their strike?" 

"A wolf," he muttered wryly, "but he fights for the Shisengumi on the other side. He is... unsure if the wolf is yōkai, hanyō or only human but he has fought this one off twice before." 

"A wolf? Alone? This one has not heard of such in many a year." 

"He is unsure of the how or the why of such a wolf, that he is, and cannot lower his guard because of the wolf and onmitsu." He paused, aware that asking a favor of the daiyōkai might result in his head coming off his shoulders but—"He would ask, what sort of hanyō?" 

"A fine swordsman, a true hitokiri and ryū-hanyō carries the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū style, first brought forth in the Sengoku." came the pronouncement, cool but with a great deal of pride, "Descended from the great and terrible Ryūkotsusei, who killed this one's Father, the Inu no Taisho, giving him wounds from which he could not heal."

"Evil?" Kenshin barely croaked out. 

"This one would have said the same some centuries past but with time comes experience, little hanyō, and with that comes wisdom. Ryūkotsusei himself? A better label never found. His cubs, however? No. Just and unjust coexist in the realm of the yōkai and more often than not, the world balances within the same family." Sesshomaru replied simply. "He is decended from the other side, that he may rest peacefully. The bane to evil's blight. He must rest; there are other days to be worrying about one's blood." 

"He thanks you, that he does," Kenshin gave the deepest bow he could without reaching the level needed for the shrine itself, a touch heavier than what he gave Katsura-san. 

"Sleep, little hanyō, and dream of better days."

* * *

They stayed at the temple for three days, Katsura-san's breathing a little easier for it. He wondered, briefly, if the Kami had heard his prayer. 

"Himura? May I inquire as to why this temple?" 

"... He is learning things, namely that yōkai are more than children's stories." 

"You're taking the Demon of Kyoto too literally, Himura-san." Katsura-san chided, eyes still as piercing as ever.

"This one would disagree, if only for the sake of disagreement, Katsura-san." Sesshomaru intervened as he glided to a stop from the top of the sacred tree on the grounds. "Your protector is hanyō and one of the last this one has seen in some time." 

Katsura-san looked between them, murmured, "I had a feeling that might be the case. Normally, it is to defend a child of foreign blood from ridicule but with Himura-san? I can safely say it is true. I offer my apologies, should you take them." 

Kenshin shook his head, "There are none needed, Katsura-san. He has only recently known this, that he has." 

"This one would... inquire but understands that age is a tricky subject." Sesshomaru stated, a continuation of their conversation that had lasted until moonrise. 

"He is fifteen, that he is," Kenshin supplied when Katsura-san bowed out of the conversation. He understood his Commander's reluctance with his age and with that of several others within the Ishin Shishi. 

Sesshomaru looked at him, glanced seemingly Heavenward and then chuckled at long last, "This one knows when he is thoroughly outwitted by Heaven itself. To put such a pup on my path is yet more lessons, is it not?" 

Kenshin got the feeling that not only was _Something_ listening and moreover, that said something was _**amused**_ by Sesshomaru's plight. 

"This one's honored Father still sets upon his path that which he can improve upon; this one has not had anyone to look after in some time and why not a hanyō when he almost failed the last one?" 

"If I may inquire why almost failed, Sesshomaru-sama?" Katsura-san questioned.

"This one's brother was the hanyō. Though our relationship will never be as our honored Father would want, it will always be better than what it was, many centuries ago." Sesshomaru added dryly, the peek of a fang over the lip suggesting an ire held by social rules. 

"Your _brother_?" Kenshin blurted. A brother to Sesshomaru, radiating the same strength and cool intellect. 

"He is... this one's opposite in many ways. Fire where there is ice, red where this one is white and above all, his capacity for love all the greater for his human heart." Sesshomaru offered, examining his claws. 

Kenshin opened his mouth to ask and then closed it, knowing that many hanyō lived long but not as long as yōkai and even less time than that of daiyōkai. Perhaps Sesshomaru was the rare kind where he was Daiyōkai, only growing more powerful with age. 

After a moment, "He is alive, if he was reluctant to ask if Inuyasha had died. Our honored Father was the sort of Daiyōkai you see but once in a millennium; ancient, learned and used his time wisely. His kindness was unmatched and this one knows that Inuyasha inherited a great deal of it." 

"Oh." Kenshin fiddled with the cording of his sheath, the blue of his kimono sleeve flapping in the breeze. "He knows that he is young, even for a human. He would like to know if he looks human, how will his other side manifest?" 

"This one can say with security that he is too young for much to happen yet. Traits of other sides are either present at birth or come forth later on. He will explain when the time comes, some decades down the road." 

"Decades?! But he is in a Revolution **_now_** and he is not sure he will survive." Kenshin knew it was rude but he couldn't help the cutting remark. 

"Survival is what dragons _do_ , Himura-san." came the equally cutting reply. "You will make it out for when death is between a dragon and what he protects, there is _no_ death." 

Katsura-san's eyes flicked back and forth as though this were a particularly intense game of mahjong. 

"... He is sorry, that he is," he said after a long moment. 

"This one will accept it, for the art of surrender is a hard one." Sesshomaru's mokomoko flicked to curl around him, the warmth of it a sensation Kenshin helplessly snuggled into. "He is young yet and the world around him changes quickly." 

"He agrees with that, he does." Kenshin sighed, his hand reaching for the fur before he pulled it back with sharp self-reproach. _Do not touch that which has not been-?_

The mokomoko pressed into his hands, Sesshomaru's elegant tipped ears pressed down with sublime joy and a quiet murmur of, "This one would allow it; he has been bereft of a companion who would touch him unthinkingly and without fear." 

Katsura-san's cleared throat had Kenshin flushing but keeping his hold on the fur. "If you intend to hold onto that, make the most of it." 

Sesshomaru cracked open a single golden eye and stated simply, "Have no fear, Katsura-san, the enemy you know does not seek past the temple's gate. They fear greatly the shadow of a Daiyōkai and fear further still its miko, though she of age and fearless in it." 

"Telling secrets, Oniisan?" came the laughing inquiry. Kenshin froze but the mokomoko tightened enough for him to relax. 

"She is... like him?" 

"She is right here and mated to that one's brother. Sesshomaru?" She prodded, blue eyes stronger than steel. 

"This is Kagome-gishi-san, though he may call her Kagome-obasan." Sesshomaru huffed out dryly, his entire form softening at the sight of her. "Mated to this one's brother since the Sengoku and watcher of the shrine." 

Kenshin bowed respectfully, aware of the mokomoko and not crushing it but extending his respect. "He is Himura Kenshin, bodyguard to Katsura-san and of the Chosuu Ishin Shishi. He is... also ryū-hanyō, student of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū." 

His stomach grumbled right as he finished and he frowned at his traitorous body. 

"Refreshment lies this way, seeing as how Sesshomaru-oniisan forgets that humans eat more often than he does and hanyō even more so! Come along," Grey streaked black whirled when Kenshin faintly protested the removal of the mokomoko, only for it to drape over his small shoulders. "It's the best pillow, huh, Himura-san?" 

"Yes, Kagome-dono." 

"Aww, you found a polite hanyō, Oniisan!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	2. The Shikon No Tama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm honestly a lil blown away by the response to this!! Thank you so much! 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

****

**-Tokyo, Higurashi Shrine, Meiji Period-**

* * *

Kenshin encountered Sesshomaru on and off during his service to the Ishin Shishi, his withdrawal after the death of Tomoe and Toba Fushimi. 

Kagome-dono had informed him that the tree in the courtyard was none other than the one her (elusive) husband had been bound to for fifty years in the Sengoku, known as the Goshinboku tree. It thrummed with ancient power, the purest tree in the shrine from someone Kagome-dono didn't name but honored nonetheless. 

He followed the energy to the small gravesite and settled next to it sieza, the edge of the Sakabatō facing outward in the traditional stance of non-violence. 

"You're the one Kagome's been talking about, huh? Himura-san, the nice hanyō my brother found." The rough tone made Kenshin crack open an eye, noting the distinct white fur and a pair of... ears. Soft white triangles that twitched with the wind and the sounds of Tokyo below. "Don't you even think about touching them." The triangles flattened but that only made them cuter. 

"He would not touch another without their permission, that he would not." He eventually replied as he looked over his new companion. "Kagome-dono seemed saddened by the tree's energy. It leads to here; perhaps he could tell the tale to this one?" 

Inuyasha, for he could only be Sesshomaru's brother, sighed heavily at that. "... Yeah, I guess. Her name was Kikyo and she protected the Shikon no Tama. I'm guessing I don't have to tell you about that, at least." 

"He has heard of it whispered by yōkai who chased him. The jewel rumored to be sought by those who wanted power or to be transformed by it." Kenshin filled in. 

"Heh, you are good," Inuyasha murmured, settling next to him and turning the katana at his hip in the same manner Kenshin wore his Sakabatō. "I... this is kind of a long story, are you sure you've got the time?" 

"He is but a wanderer, that he is, and plenty of time in which to listen." He hummed. 

"Oh. Awesome!" 

"Awe...some?" 

"It's, err, a turn of phrase I learned when I went where Kagome's from? I promise it'll make sense!" Inuyasha huffed, cheek pressed against the ragged wrappings of his katana. "I can see you judging me from here, that's not what she really looks like and she's well maintained. She's a yōkai sword, you know." 

"Appearances are deceiving?" Kenshin offered quietly. 

"Exactly. Anyway, if we're gonna do this, better do it properly. We'll start with the story of the Shikon and work our way out, since you have the time and all." Inuyasha charged ahead enthusiastically and Kenshin found himself missing the calmer presence of Sesshomaru. He could see how they were opposites; just as Sesshomaru had described. 

He listened carefully, grateful when Inuyasha brought over food and plied him with it. 

"Us hanyō gotta eat more, y'know, since we're not human but we're not really yōkai either." 

The story woven was a fine one, full of love and heartbreak, fear and hope, but above all was the undying loyalty Inuyasha held for Kagome-dono. 

Evening broke and heralded the arrival of a calm, cool presence Kenshin knew well. 

"I hardly ever get to tell it all the way through and with new people who don't know it! Thanks for listening," Inuyasha scratched behind his ear with his foot hiked all the way up. "Damn flea." Kenshin blinked as a small flea popped off, wearing traditional clothing and obviously another yōkai. "Myoga Jr., I ain't always your next meal." 

""I was passing through, Master—Eeek! A dragon?!"" The tiny voice shrieked and Kenshin cocked his head to the side. 

"Ryū-hanyō, young Myoga, and not to be chewed upon as you do my brother." Sesshomaru chided as the tiny flea yōkai landed on Kenshin's knee. 

"He does not mind if it does no harm." 

""As much as I would like to, Ryuu-sama, I fear your blood is too strong for me. Son of a Daiyokai and I can barely handle Master Inuyasha as it is. Perhaps when I'm older?"" 

"If that is his wish, this one will oblige." He replied, offering courtesy nod in place of a bow. "Why would he harm Myoga-san?" 

"Dragon's blood is like this one's; poison if ingested before his maturity. He is older than him but only by a quarter of a century. Young Myoga will take another century to be fully grown." Sesshomaru pointed out, sat next to him and the mokomoko unfurled to settle in Kenshin's lap. He petted absent-mindedly, trusting that he was perfectly safe.

"... Hey, Sesshomaru?" 

"This one is aware of Himura-san and he is allowing the touch because it comforts both. It is not this one's tale to tell." Sesshomaru countered quietly, Kenshin now slowly ruffling the fur to check for brambles and sticky burrs. 

"He is not ready, that he is not, nor will he be for some time." Kenshin added roughly, the memory of Tomoe lingering brightly in his mind. "Ask him again in three decades and he might be able to tell it then." 

"Alright," at the simple answer, Inuyasha merely chuckled, "We're old as balls and more patient than we used to be, me especially. Three hundred years ought to mellow out just about anyone." 

"He is not inclined to ask, seeing as he is the youngest-" 

"Sesshomaru's dusty at, what, a little over a thousand? I'm scratching five hundred and fifty and little Myoga here's barely fifty. You're...?" 

"He turned twenty some time this past fall." Kenshin supplied. Five years of knowing what yōkai were, what they were capable of and knowing Sesshomaru as he stepped in and out of Kenshin's life. "He has known Sesshomaru-sama for five years." 

Inuyasha snorted and then shrugged. "You'll probably outlive everyone here but my brother then; dragons take forever to age, even as a hanyō. You'd count as a dragon cub for another century at least." 

Kenshin frowned at that, "Don't give me that look, little dragon, I'm being blunt here. I'll probably croak at a thousand, considering our Dad lived past two thousand but he could've easily made it here if, well, it hadn't been for Ryūkotsusei. Don't worry, I know that you're not him and as his descendant, you're not bound by his actions or whatever. Besides, I killed him and got revenge, even if I didn't realize it at the time." 

Kenshin blinked, tilted his head the other way and saw Inuyasha in quite a different light; as a hitokiri. He liked his opponents honorable but when he swore to kill them, they died. 

"Okay, that's new," Kagome-dono murmured as she arrived, nudging Inuyasha over and taking his clawed hand. "I didn't realize your eyes could change colors, Himura-san." 

"Oro?" 

"You didn't realize? Your gaze was gold when we met and I'm just now realizing that they're violet." 

"He is sorry but that is the way of hitokiri." 

"Like recognizes like, after all." Sesshomaru filled in, "Hitokiri wa hitokiri." 

"... Really?" Inuyasha sounded surprised. 

"This one would say so, for even as his opponents lacked honor, they died if they were between Kagome-dono and himself. He knows now what Sesshomaru-sama meant by his words some years ago." Kenshin glanced up at Sesshomaru, the understanding in the golden gaze reassuring. 

"That's adorable," Kagome-dono cooed, "Oniisan, you hardly let anyone touch your tail." 

Kenshin, still flicking out tiny branches, paused in his work. Sesshomaru's tail? 

"This one has yet to show him the other form, for this one is not always as he sits now. He is Daiyōkai and may switch between his true form and this." 

"Oh." 

"This one would assume that his true form is slow in coming—such is his blood—but when it does, this one shall admire it, same as his sword style." Sesshomaru mentioned carefully, his tail shuffling further into Kenshin's fingers. "If he would continue?" 

So Kenshin does, working his way around the immense tail until the creamy fur is shining under his care.

* * *

****

**-Tokyo, Higurashi Shrine, Meiji Period-**

* * *

"Himura-san!" Kenshin dodged the yellow kimono headed his way out of sheer reflex, spinning on the ball of his foot and ducked when Kirara jumped over him to tackle the kitsune on the other side. "You know, there's some guy claiming your old title." 

"Oro?" 

"Your Battousai one," Inuyasha clarified as he bopped Shippo on the head. "The one both you and my older brother don't like talking about, despite meeting each other when you were still using it." 

Kenshin stiffened, his expression halfway between surprise and faint anger. The Revolution was over, why would anyone take up such a blood-stained title was beyond him. "Why would he pretend to be him? Why not Shishio, who took up his mantle-?" 

"Himura-kun, he's using _your_ name; calling himself Himura Battousai, not Makoto Battousai." Kagome-dono added as she adjusted his kimono layers, absently wiped a smudge from his cheek and then continued as though she hadn't done either of those things, "claiming to be using the Kamiya Kasshin-ryū."

"... That is not his style, that it is not." Kenshin blurted, "He knew of a Kamiya, back in the Ishin Shishi, but had not the pleasure of meeting said Kamiya-san. That does not sound like any style he knows, that it does not, not even from his Shishou."

"Must be a new style then," Shippo chirruped as he sat on Kenshin's shoulder, the weight of him barely bothering Kenshin. However, as it left his paws within range of Kenshin's fingers, he pressed against the center of the left paw to remove Shippo's kitsune balance and side-stepped the sprawl which resulted. "Hey!"

"He is not a perch," Kenshin huffed, "nor is Shippo-san a tengu."

"Hatori taught me that and he _is_ a tengu so hah!"

"He would inquire after Ai-dono," he added, smiling as Shippo dusted himself off with a grumble. 

"She's great! The kits are giving her no trouble at all now that they're fawning over a certain ryū-hanyō's manners and helping her out." Shippo snorted, his tails fluffing at the mention of his wife. "All sweet and formal and oh so helpful; they're Kitsune and mizuchi, not pranking has got to be killing them inside!" 

"He hopes that they take after their mother, that he does," Kenshin teased before sobering. "He will have to take care of that." 

"You sure you don't want one of us?" Shippo asked as he leaned on Kirara. 

"What Shippo said,"

"You will stick out even more than he does, and with no swords allowed, he senses it will dissolve into quite the brawl." He pointed out dryly. 

"... Yeah, I guess. If you need back up, don't hesitate to come here. Sesshomaru's away for now, doing business with the Panther Clan but he'll be back before long. He'll have my ears if you've gotten into a fight you can't get out of, Himura-san." Inuyasha mentioned, shaking a clawed finger at him. "Promise?" 

"He promises-" When Inuyasha offered his smallest finger, Kenshin blinked. "Oro?" 

"Just. Just take the pinkie, alright." The faint flush meant that it was personal, this particular promise. "Means I won't go back in my word and you won't either." 

Kenshin solemnly linked their pinkies and repeated, "He promises to ask for aid when it is needed from the Higurashi Shrine and its inhabitants." 

"Okay, okay. Enough with the mush," Inuyasha grumbled as he disengaged. "Stay safe, or whatever." 

"He will try, Inuyasha-san, that he will." Kenshin agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	3. Of Honor and Pride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So while we'll see elements and chunks of canon from both Inuyasha and RK, I'm more aiming for the moments inbetween? The area I like to call the what if potential. 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

****

**-Tokyo, Near The Kamiya Dojo, Meiji Period-**

* * *

"Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the Kamiya Dojo?" Kenshin asked, carefully balancing Kamiya-san. He'd set her down each time he asked and the exercise had him feeling like he was back with the Ishin Shishi. 

The added pang in his heart when she turned against him like Tomoe was almost white noise compared to her weight. 

"Oh! Kaoru-san! She's hurt! Stay right here, young man, I'll send my son for Gensai-isha. He'll know what to do," the woman hurried back into her house and out came a boy, barely eleven, bolting down the road they were on. 

"This one thanks you, that he does," Kenshin gave a polite bow, keeping in mind his warm and unconscious burden, "Kamiya-san is a burden he bears gladly but he is not steel forged but... only human and exhausted." 

The omission on his tongue was new to him but not to Kagome-dono nor the rest of the Inutachi. He supposed he'd have to get used to it. 

"Would you like some tea and a cushion to lay Kamiya-san on while you wait?" 

"He would appreciate such an offer," he started and then she noticed the sword, "Only a Sakabatō, that it is, and of no use in the right hands. He is but a wanderer. She may check but be careful, the edge is sharp." 

The woman tugged a bit and the reverse blade became clear. 

"Oh." She gently pressed it back into its saya, quietly apologizing by pressing tea into his hands and presenting a cushion for Kamiya-san.

Kenshin gratefully sank down to his knees at the doorway and kept an eye on his chosen burden. The wind gently tugged at her hair, the sleek blue-black standing out even in shade. 

He sipped his tea, content to be in the moment when— "Mama, I'm back! Gensai-isha is coming soon!" 

"Good boy, now come inside and finish your work," The boy's mother hummed as she brought out a small bowl of edamame to Kenshin. "You will know Gensai-isha when he arrives. Do you need anything else, sir wanderer?" 

"He is well provided, that he is, and he thanks her for her kindness in return." Kenshin replied softly, slowly finishing the tea and chewing on the pod, scraping the bean out with his teeth. "He will leave her the dishes, if that is fair or return them to her when Gensai-isha arrives." 

"Leaving them inside the gate is enough, kind wanderer. Only watch Kamiya-san," Kenshin gently adjusted Kamiya-san with his shoulder. "She is a warrior, perhaps born in the wrong era." came the parting remark before Kenshin was left to wait. 

"Of that he is sure, that he is," Kenshin murmured to himself. "only that her sword is an ideal he cannot fathom."

* * *

The wait proved short, the faint breeze making Kenshin smile. 

"Oh, Kaoru-chan, you mix yourself in many a fight. Young man, may I ask for your help in getting her home? The dojo is down the street this way?" 

"He is Gensai-isha?" Kenshin carefully balanced Kamiya-san's head against his leg and bowed. 

"I am, young man, and that is an accent I haven't heard in years. You are?" 

"He is Himura-san, merely a rurouni, but he saved her from the one who claims the title of Himura Battousai." He admitted with a faint shrug. "That is not a title he would ever think someone would want to claim, awash in blood as it is, in this, a peaceful era." 

"That he shares the last name of the wanderer...?" 

"A coincidence he does not like but one he must endure. Himura is not a common name, that it is not, Gensai-isha." Kenshin sighed as he gently picked up Kamiya-san in a bridal hold and followed the doctor, "He wishes that the slanderer of her dojo would have chosen Makoto Battousai, that he does." 

"Makoto Shishio? He who took up the mantle after Himura Battousai left?" 

"Never a better model for such a cruel man," Kenshin murmured as he set Kamiya-san on the futon after removing his zori before the dojo's engawa. 

Gensai-isha gave him a sharp look and replied, "You are not so young as you appear, hmm?" 

"He was... _involved_ with Chosuu. He will leave the meaning of it to thought, that he will, though it paints a broad stroke indeed with such a brush as death." Kenshin replied, his stance one of measured patience as Gensai-isha did his duty by Kamiya-san's wound. "He would stay, if that is allowed. He has a few resting places in Tokyo, as it stands now, and would not impose himself upon the dojo's hospitality."

"So long as you take the guest room, Himura-san, I see no problem with you staying. You did save Kaoru-chan's life; she is not so callous as to deny a fellow swordsman a room." 

"He is not of the same school, nor of the same ideology—" 

"Rurouni you may be now, Himura-san, your body gives you away as a swordsman through and through. She will be kinder than most; her honored father, blessed may his memory be, was one of the Ishin Shishi. Kaoru-chan would _understand_ better than most the way of steel and its song." Gensai-isha corrected sharply before easing off with a light smile. 

"He would stay then and watch over her," he finally agreed with a faint smile. "This he can do for a night." 

After being shown a quick layout of the dojo, Kenshin was left to his own devices. He made himself a simple dinner of miso soup and the burnt rice still sticking to the bottom of the pan, which he resolved to clean. 

He busied himself with household chores, only peering into rooms shortly to ascertain their purpose before he closed them again. 

Kenshin also resolved to scout out the market in the morning, having mapped it in his wandering of Tokyo. He would serve his hostess a proper breakfast in thanks. Kaoru-dono had saved him the trouble of trying to identify the wrongful soul masquerading as him, after all. 

When he spotted white and red, fur and steel, he relaxed against the wall, knowing that Sesshomaru had returned.

* * *

He awoke briefly, stirred awake by a soft brush against his cheek, only to smile at the scent that tickled his nose. The mokomoko had wrapped around him, cradling him in its elegant embrace. 

Sesshomaru's kindness was appreciated even if he never spoke of it to the others of the Inutachi. 

This was their secret, bound by moonlight and the breadth of trust between them.

* * *

Kenshin was back by the light of the morning, having argued for vegetables, a proper bonito stock and decent soft tofu. 

Gensai-isha met him at the gate, frowning at the sight of slight bags under Kenshin's eyes. 

"He stayed up until the moon descended and then he rested, that he did," this omission felt like no lie at all— Kenshin's time with Sesshomaru was sacred to him like no other. "He has also sharpened all of Kaoru-dono's knives for proper cooking." 

Gensai-isha chortled, his hand over his mouth. 

There must have been some secret that the doctor knew of Kaoru-dono that was unflattering to the Master of the Kamiya-Kashin-ryū style. 

"He wants to offer breakfast, that he does, but only if he and his daughters are willing?" Kenshin asked, setting his curiosity firmly to the side. 

"Ayame-chan and Suzume-chan are—" 

"Hello, Red-san!!!" 

"Hello, Red-san!!!" 

"His name is Himura-san, that it is, and would Ayame-chan and Suzume-chan like to help him?" He cooed, accepting their offered tiny hands as they dragged him over to the cooking pot in the inner courtyard. 

"Yay!!" 

"Helping, helping!!" 

Kenshin smile at their antics but washed out the rice, cooked the rice and then formed it into cute shapes for the girls to eat. 

He also pulled out the konbu, which had been soaking overnight, and set it aside as he started preparing miso soup. He carefully cut up the soft tofu, covering it with a simple bamboo lid and continued, adding in bonito flakes and bringing the soup to a boil before pulling it off the heat. 

Kenshin added in the miso paste, the tofu and a sprinkle of green onions from his earlier knifework. Just as he was about to serve it, the girls dropped vegetables into the finished soup. 

"He thanks you but perhaps they need cutting, hmm?" 

The click of the engawa door against the other side had him looking up. 

Kaoru-dono looked much better in the light of the morning. Without the pallor of sickness, she seemed to glow a little, her swordswoman ki bright and unchallenged. 

"Good morning, Kaoru-dono, your sisters have been excellent helpers this morning, that they have," he offered, "Would she like some breakfast?" 

"Oh, something you're a little more talented that than I am," she murmured after a bite of his rice balls. 

"Oro?" 

"I can't cook but I'm glad you can, Mr. Wanderer."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	4. Dragon's Fang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Kenshin! Hanyō sure do have it rough. 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

****

**-Tokyo, Kamiya Dojo, Meiji Era-**

* * *

Acceptance. 

Forgiveness. 

Kaoru-dono had offered it so freely, Kenshin thought he might have understood part of why Sesshomaru had taken to him. 

It had been a long time since someone had seen him without fear in their gaze. 

He hadn't seen it since Tomoe, since the inclusion into the Inutachi and Sesshomaru's favor. 

Kenshin wondered briefly, if he hadn't encountered Sesshomaru, what such a gift might have felt like when receiving it for the first time. 

He cleaned his sword, the edge gleaming as he set it against the whet stone, the scrape of it in the late evening enough to draw Sesshomaru to the roof. The Daiyōkai's youki would prevent anyone from seeing him but Kenshin or another yōkai. 

"He is safe, that he is, here in the dojo. He has dealt with the one claiming his old title for the ruin of a sword that is appropriate for this modern era. Kamiya Kasshin Ryū is the sword that give life and he likes the idea, that he does." 

""This one is glad of it, for if it had not been dealt with, this one would have made sure such a waste of air would not waste it again."" 

"Killing?" Kenshin asked, wiping down the Sakabatō and sheathing it once more in its saya. "On his behalf?" 

""This one is rarely impressed by humans and less so by those who would use their strength to hurt others instead of helping. Many times has he seen such in the Sengoku but humans as a group rarely change in this one's favor. Individuals, however, may be admirable from time to time, such as Himura-san and Kamiya-san."" Sesshomaru remarked, examining his claws. ""This one **is** _Killing Perfection_ , after all. He has killed for lesser offenses.""

"Himura-san, are you alright?" Kaoru-dono asked, her eyes glancing over Kenshin's cleaning kit. "No blood but cleaning is a force of habit, hmm?" 

"He speaks with himself for council, though who but yōkai to hear him out on the road? He apologizes if he woke her in the night." Kenshin murmured. 

"No need, I was going to sit out here for a while. My shoulder's been throbbing something awful," she started. Kenshin clucked his tongue, careful to massage around the heavy bruise but easing the pressure nonetheless. "Oh, that's much better. Anyone ever tell you you've got magic hands?" 

"That they have not, Kaoru-dono," he replied, suddenly bereft of Sesshomaru's presence, though the Daiyōkai remained on the roof. "He spent time under a master, learning the ways of the body and how it is affected. He is still but a student in this matter but if he may use it to help others, his Shishou will not have taught him in vain." 

"Ah. I'll see you in the morning, Himura-san?" 

"There is breakfast to prepare, is there not?" 

"I should've known better than to ask a question of a wanderer; they'll answer it with another question which is the answer." Kaoru-dono sighed, leveling herself up onto the engawa proper and sliding her door closed with a click. 

Kenshin slipped on his zori, kicked up onto the tree that was in the Kamiya dojo's inner courtyard and landed on the roof with nary a sound. "He knows he should be going," 

"This one thinks the Kamiya Kasshin Ryū will be good for him," Sesshomaru countered, the mokomoko curling around Kenshin out of long-standing habit. "A sword that gives life. This one thought no other sword aside from the Tensaiga could do that but humans have often surprised for the better." 

Kenshin asked, "He is torn. Is this what it means to be hanyō? One foot in the world of the yōkai that made him, one foot in the world of humans, who made him as well?" 

"This one is not equipped for such questions, better that they be directed at Inuyasha, but this one thinks... A path must be forged by the hanyō, in order to live with themselves." Sesshomaru admitted bluntly. 

"That is the wisdom of a hanyō?" 

"This one's brother said as much, often to much younger hanyō during his traveling days. He and the others of the Inutachi traveled the length and width of Nippon as she was, learning much about themselves in the process, this one included." The mokomoko's end flicked up and down, showcasing the faint agitation that dared not appear on Sesshomaru's face. "Inuyasha was one such lesson and his companion now yet another. This one sees now why his honored Father was patient with him; this one had nothing to protect. He had no one to value in the way beings are supposed to be valued until the Inutachi arrived and knocked such a foolish notion as aloofness out of this one's mind." 

"Dogs are best in packs, that they are, but a lone dog cannot be heartless; merely untried at best." Kenshin hummed. "Many has he met, all stiff legged and bristling until he offered his hearth, his space and his food. It takes two to be better, though one can practice it alone." 

"The Revolution and the events have changed him— He was right about that, though often the truth comes from young mouths and is ignored." 

"He is not sure it was for the better, that he is not, but change is, as the Westerners would say, an unstoppable force." 

"This one supposes it meets the immovable object then, the stubbornness of a swordsman's ki, for he is well aware of the laws. He has traveled for ten years and must know them to avoid trouble." 

"The immovable object is not his ki, nor his stubbornness but perhaps his youki. He cannot let go of the sword." 

"Perhaps. A ryū is a ryū, a fang is a fang, no matter its core; to separate the fang from the dragon is no laughing matter." 

"The same could be said of the dog and his fang, no matter its core." Kenshin chuckled, patting Tensaiga and Bakusaiga gently. "Why does the Tessaiga look like that?" 

"Her appearance is for Inuyasha's sake—Too beautiful and she would be stolen from him; too poor and she would be useless even without her saya. Tessaiga is Inuyasha's limiter; he will turn into a demon, overwhelmed by his blood." 

"Would... Would that happen to him? If he is overwhelmed?" 

"This one is unsure. Ryū are known to be highly secretive and will not appreciate an Inu Daiyōkai poking around for secrets. Perhaps his instinct to keep steel clutched by his side is a sign." Sesshomaru sighed, his claws turning a faint green in the moonlight. "This one might leave for a while to inquire in the yōkai realm. There is one being who may take kindly to such a line of questioning." 

"Will he be gone long?" Kenshin would miss their quiet talks. 

"Less than a year, by human terms, though longer than the summer storms." Sesshomaru glanced down, golden eyes looking him over for something that he seemed to have found satisfactory. "This one will return in due time, if the answer is favorable. He would ask a favor," 

A favor? For Sesshomaru? 

"This one would prefer to come back to him with shallow wounds or mostly healed ones. He understands that asking him to not fight would be like telling the river to slow down in the spring melt; unwise and with disastrous consequences." 

"... He will endeavor to keep himself to scrapes and battles he may win skillfully, that he will." Kenshin agreed. "Does he leave now?" 

"This one will leave when spring arrives. Winter is no time to be in the realm of the yokai; he has no wish to spend such time dancing to courtly intrigues when he would seek answers, not yin and yang in a circle unending." 

"They would talk him in circles, no doubt, and he does not wish that on another. We have time yet, that we do." Kenshin managed, his laughter escaping in his voice. 

The winter. He would keep Sesshomaru for the winter and then find him again in the autumn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	5. Spirit of the Meiji

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't realized I had more of this!
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

Theft Kenshin could tolerate; theft by a small, samurai-blooded child? He offered his wallet, gently placing it in the boy's hand, only to be refuted. 

Ah, that pride would be steel in another era, a pride worthy of a core of a samurai. If it was nurtured? A better blade fit for this new era such as it was. 

A sword concealed but a sword nonetheless, edge as sharp as the day was long but younger than he had been when war was on the horizon. 

Part of him wanted to scoop the boy up, train him, teach him but the other... The wanderer in him said to let it be, that it would work out. 

And then Kaoru-dono had stood up, announced that she couldn't stand it and left, leaving Kenshin to pay for the meal. 

"Gensai-isha, this one will also take his leave," Kenshin bowed, steeling himself for quite the afternoon.

* * *

Eight yakuza houses. 

Eight hideouts with various men who thought to test fist and stick, to pit their will against Kenshin's own—only to find that Kenshin was a force unbreakable, they the reeds that bent in the wind of change. 

The final one, Kenshin wasted no time in laying each of the men flat. He had heard the struggle of Kaoru-dono and Yahiko, waited until the moment seemed appropriate and stepped in. 

"This one would think that such a leader might show his generosity, that he would." Kenshin murmured. "He has come to take home both of his friends." 

"We have an intruder! Men!" 

"He will find them sleeping, that he will, because this one tried to come through politely and when they did not, he removed them." He continued quietly, shifting his sword just so to clip the jaw of the yakuza bully. "This one was not finished, that he was not." 

He felt something shift within him, smooth dark scales and fur the same color as his hair. "If he would be so kind?" 

"Take them!" 

""But boss-!"" 

""No. He would have us in coffins instead of futons, you fool."" The sharp reproach of the yakuza leader stopped the remaining men. ""Trust me when I say that the true spirit of the Meiji was here."" 

Kenshin scoffed quietly as he hoisted Yahiko a little higher on his shoulder. 

Spirit of the Meiji, now that was quite the title. One that was better placed on the small shoulders resting against his own.

* * *

He laughed as Kaoru-dono chased Yahiko, the something that had stirred deep within sleeping now. 

It had been frightening, moreso than usual, because such a thing wasn't supposed to happen for decades. 

All hanyō were different but Kenshin had no idea if this was unusual amongst hanyō or if he was beyond the scope of even the Inutachi. 

He would seek Inuyasha after Yahiko had been settled into the Kamiya dojo.

* * *

"He is sorry for the late hour, that he is," Kenshin blurted upon seeing Inuyasha curled around Kagome-dono. 

"Mm-mm, what's wrong?" Kindness through and through, was Kagome-dono. "You'd never come here unless it was urgent." 

"He felt... He felt something, when he had to protect his friends. Black scales, red fur in a place deeper than he knows." Kenshin slumped against the wall, closing the door quietly. 

"Something was different about it, right?" Inuyasha prodded as he settled his chin in Kagome-dono's hair. 

"The color of his hair in the Bakumatsu, that it was." 

"Your inner dragon," came the reply, "You probably woke it up during the Bakumatsu to stay alive." 

"'You will make it out for when death is between a dragon and what he protects, there is no death.'" He repeated Sesshomaru's words, fiddling with the cording on the Sakabatō. "Sesshomaru-sama's words, not his own, before he asks." 

"Yeah, he's always like that," Inuyasha snorted. "Guess when you like people, threats against 'em rouse the dragon. Can't let go of the Sakabatō either?" 

"This one is realizing there is a difference, that he is." 

"Between will not and cannot? Pretty thin distinction but important; cannot means that you need it to live. Bit like my relationship with Tessaiga." The familiar golden eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled softly. "She controls my demonic aura so that I can function. Without her, the demon takes over. Somehow the steel of the blade soothes and takes some of the demon youki." 

"The Sakabatō is no such weapon, that it is not." Kenshin breathed out. 

"Mmn, it might be. Draw it for us?" Kagome-dono requested. 

Kenshin withdrew the blade, the sharp edge on the opposite side a surprise to Inuyasha. "You're telling me that when you're trying to be peaceful, you're actually presenting the edge?" 

"He does not use the edge, that he does not. He wanders, he defends, but he does not want to kill again." He explained softly, the saya creaking in his grip. "The Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū is made to kill. It is all he knows, that he does, and therefore cannot carry a blade meant for it unless he too wishes death." 

Inuyasha's expression had grown solemn as he handed back the Sakabatō. "You might actually need Sesshomaru's help with that.The Tessaiga is a killing blade. Maybe you need Tensaiga. It heals instead of hurts."

Kenshin sheathed the blade, tucked it against his shoulder and sighed. 

"This one will see to it that he seeks the knowledge of dragons. Come." Sesshomaru requested flatly. 

Kenshin followed, chasing the Daiyōkai across the rooftops until they settled once more over the Kamiya Dojo. 

"He is hampered by the knowledge he gained fighting dragons and yet he would offer it." Sesshomaru admitted. "It is comparatively small." 

"He would hear of it, that he would, Sesshomaru-sama." 

"The dragon seeks company, for good or ill; their very nature is woven into the world. Did he see four claws or five?" 

The sensation reappeared, flashing four distinct talons. "He saw four, that he did." It cracked open a golden eye before dismissing Kenshin and fading away. "A golden gaze in Sesshomaru-sama's presence." 

Sesshomaru looked into the distance, the mokomoko ruffled by the spring wind. 

"This one will have to go sooner than planned." The mokomoko flicked around Kenshin, cradling him. "He would repeat his request." 

"Healing from injuries or light scratches?" Kenshin teased. "He will try, that he will, but he makes no promises. Stay until the beginning of summer?" 

The golden gaze flicked towards him from under lush dark lashes. "He drives for a bargain?" 

"... He will miss him. Forgive his foolishness?" Kenshin flushed as he admitted it. 

"This one will do no such thing for there is nothing to forgive. A decade and more he has had this one for company. This one would expect no less a loyalty." Sesshomaru countered, the mokomoko tightening. "The ryū-hanyō has kept his word and his bond." 

Kenshin wondered briefly the implications of such a statement before he started grooming again. "He is curious, that he is, of Sesshomaru-sama's true form." 

"This one is Inu Daiyōkai. He will see it in due time." 

"He teases this one," 

"True form calls to true form, much like this one's Mother." 

"He will have to explain that, that he will," Kenshin hummed, "This one thought both parents gone." 

"Hnn, not _quite_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	6. A Ryūu's Regard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, surprise, the Muses were roaring today? 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

A zanbatō user. 

The brushstrokes of _Wicked_ sprawling across broad shoulders. 

Red headband a banner of it's own in the wind.

An opponent to be wary of, certainly, but one with unexpected morals. 

Kenshin chose to pretend all was normal, especially with Suzume-chan and Ayame-chan at his sides.

The dragon hadn't moved since the day he'd had to use his skills against the yakuza. It hadn't even cracked open an eye to acknowledge Zanza as a threat. 

He wondered at the nature he held, how his vow changed his inner dragon... Questions that would have to wait. 

Sesshomaru had agreed until the beginning of summer. That was even more bothersome. A decade and more he'd spent knowing the Daiyōkai and yet, it seemed there were always hidden depths to sound. 

More than a thousand years old and yet Sesshomaru had chosen Kenshin's company over that of his own kind. 

Kaoru-dono, too. 

She could have so easily taken him at his word, could have kicked him to the side. 

So many had done so for lesser offenses. 

Her pride as a swordswoman would allow her no less, he knew, but it did not account for her kindess. 

Kaoru-dono's strength was her heart, her firm hand guiding Yahiko's light. 

Kenshin found himself soothed by her touch, the dragon always giving a faint rumble in his chest at the sight of her.

Two loyalties, two hearts, one mind; a foot firmly in each world, though both were new to him. 

Kenshin shook away such morose thoughts and focused on the children. 

Zanza would return in good time and for that he would have to coax them away.

* * *

Kenshin knew Gohei was a fool but a fool with a firearm? 

Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū knew them and better yet—knew how to counter them. 

He caught the bullet on the tsuba, happier to have it fall apart than for the projectile to touch his hand or his face. 

Even Zanza, who took their fight quite seriously, knew that Gohei was a nuisance better taken out than left behind. 

Battered as he was, Kenshin looked him over and found a kindred spirit. 

The Meiji had used them for its own purpose; now they were left to rebuild themselves and their own sense of purpose. 

He wouldn't put it past Zanza to find one again. 

After all, he kept his word.

* * *

Plucking the produce basket and the tofu holder up, Kenshin happily wore a hat into the market. 

He gently picked over the vegetables, carefully bargained over spice packets and then smiled at the figure approaching him. 

"Kenshin-san!" 

"Kagome-dono," he hummed, offering to take her armful of groceries, "Could he take her basket?" 

"Oh, yes. How's the dojo?" 

"Kaoru-dono is most kind," Kenshin replied, walking alongside Kagome-dono, the two of them getting subtle but startled glances. 

"Kaoru-dono, is it?" She ribbed him and Kenshin flushed. "No worries, your secret's safe with us." 

"Kagome-obachan!" He hissed, the hat hiding his reddening ears and face as he pulled it lower. "He is not like _that_ —" 

"Relax, Kenshin-kun," Kagome-dono laughed, her ease releasing the tension he held in his shoulders. "I know you'd never take advantage of such a kindess. I'm sure I'll meet her one of these days, hmm?" 

The Inutachi meeting—? Oh dear. 

"This one does not think it wise, no he does not." 

"Oh? Why not?" 

"He fears for the walls of the dojo or the shrine, that he does." He offered wryly. "Kaoru-dono and Yahiko-kun are somewhat... destructive." 

"Ahhh, I see, much like my Yasha," she caught on, giving Inuyasha his name away from the Higurashi shrine. "Perhaps when you've known them a bit longer." 

"That he can agree with," Kenshin replied, walking to the shrine with her before taking the rooftops back to the dojo. 

The tofu water never wavered, steady as his hold was on it.

* * *

Kenshin watched fondly as Kaoru-dono throw in spices he'd bargained for that very morning, mangle vegetables he'd picked out and then eagerly serve the result to all of them. 

He ate it, internally gave the longest sigh he'd ever given in his life and chalked this up as a learning moment for himself and the others.

Such a lesson could be boiled down to—never let Kaoru-dono near the kitchen if they wanted to live longer. 

Kaoru-dono was a fine, upstanding citizen of the Meiji Era, a compassionate woman and an incredibly talented swordswoman. 

She was a _dreadful_ cook. 

Kenshin resigned himself to cooking all of their meals out of sheer self-defense. 

Sanosuke, who was quite the freeloader, had not caught on yet that Kaoru-dono was as vicious with a boken as she was with other projectiles. 

Kenshin would have mourned being used as a shield for Sanosuke if it hadn't been for the matter brought before them.

* * *

****

**-Tokyo, Higurashi Shrine, Meiji Era-**

* * *

No matter the name, be it Kurosaga or Udou Jin-e, the demand he'd made of Kenshin bothered him more. 

'Return to the hitokiri.' 

He sought out Kagome, as she'd known him both as an assassin of Chosuu and as a wanderer. 

"Kagome-dono... A request was made of him by a rogue hitokiri." He started as they cleaned out the storage room of the Higurashi Temple, the Goshinboku looming tall in the background. 

"Oh? What was it?" She asked, carefully stacking boxes and brushing out the cobwebs, apologizing to the spiders she dislodged almost absently. 

"'Return to being the hitokiri,' which he thought was strange, that he did." 

"Hitokiri wa hitokiri, wasn't that what you told me a couple years back?" Inuyasha pointed out as he tied his sleeves back and tucked his ears under a cloth to keep them protected. 

"He is _no longer hitokiri_ , that he is not," Kenshin countered sharply. "He is but a wanderer." 

"Who carries a sword he can't let go of," Inuyasha parried with a raised brow. "I think, and this is a half-assed guess at best, that being hitokiri never really goes away, not when we are what we are. Instinct beats habit, no matter how long it's been." 

Kenshin mulled the thought over, cleaning vigorously all the while before he sighed and deemed it truth. 

"He is correct, that he is," 

"Maybe I'm wrong and your choice is what you make of it but-" 

"This one would deny _agreeing_ with his honored brother," Sesshomaru murmured into the conversation, "and yet his statement rings true. He knows this and knows it well." A quiet pause before, "This one would also allow for choice over instinct." 

Kenshin felt the press of the Sakabatō against his ribs and agreed with a faint nod, sweeping with more strength than necessary. "He does not want to be hitokiri, that he does not, but for the sake of others he might." 

"If he thinks that is weakness," Sesshomaru warned lightly, right as Kenshin launched himself up to the roof and buried his face in the mokomoko, "he would be incorrect." 

"Sesshomaru's right, much as it kills _me_ to agree; your connections are the difference between your two sides." 

The memory of Tomoe dug hard into the space between Inuyasha's words. 

"... He is wrong about that. This one had a connection as hitokiri. A connection that he cannot forget, nor forgive himself for." 

"Well shit," came the apt summation. 

"Indeed." Sesshomaru stated flatly. "Such is the way of the Bakumatsu and his past. It need not cloud the present, Kenshin." 

Kenshin froze at the soft use of his name. 

"He would...?" 

"This one has known him long enough to warrant a familiarity." Sesshomaru offered as Kenshin heard Inuyasha swear out of sheer surprise. "He need only say so and the title of ryū-hanyō will resume."

"He is honored," Kenshin replied, tucking himself under the arm Sesshomaru extended. "May he use such familiarity as well?" 

"This one would accept," came the warm response. 

"Oniisan, that's adorable!" Kagome-dono cooed and Kenshin flushed as he remembered the others. "How cute!" 

The mokomoko bristled at her affectionate tone but made no move to remove itself from around Kenshin's shoulders. Sesshomaru moved them into the Goshinboku, the thick branches obscuring them from view even as it loomed over the Tokyo landscape. 

Kenshin wondered even as, "Sesshomaru, what is he asking of this one?" 

The tips of Sesshomaru's ears pinked as a faint blush spread under the magenta stripes. "He is asking for a companion, one that will last his lifetime. This one is Daiyōkai and he is... He is someone this one is not willing to lose." 

"He was married, before—" 

"It matters not to this one, only that his devotion to the stars in his eyes is reciprocated." Sesshomaru admitted quietly, the arm around Kenshin's waist tightening fractionally then releasing. "That this one is not alone in his pursuit of the moon." 

Kenshin's breath hitched at the way Sesshomaru was trying to convey the depth of his feelings. "He is not alone. He is devoted also to the stars and the pursuit of the moon, be it for as long as this one can bear it... anata*." 

Sesshomaru inhaled shakily, turning to take Kenshin's face in his talons. He pressed soft kisses to Kenshin's brow, each of his cheeks and then exhaled just short of his lips. "He is certain?" 

"He could never be more certain," Kenshin cupped Sesshomaru's cheek and ran a thumb over the warmed stripes even as he leaned in. 

Their lips met briefly, again and again, Kenshin abandoning sense for the feeling of cool white strands and sharp fangs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect. 
> 
> *anata - beloved, dear one


	7. Bending Like Bamboo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much, I practically had to yank the Muses back XDD 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

Kenshin ran his tongue behind his bottom lip, a jolt of affection surging through him everytime he caught the bruising Sesshomaru had unintentionally left behind. 

Watching the swollen spring river, Kenshin made his choice. 

He couldn't face Kaoru, not if he intended to—

" _KENSHIN_." 

Oh dear.

* * *

The dragon within roared, white-hot fury overriding his senses for a moment. 

Udou Jin-e wanted the hitokiri? 

He'd get **exactly** what he'd asked for.

Kaoru was _thiers_.

* * *

The burning rush of blood that ran from his heart and into his wound made him snarl. 

This hitokiri though himself worthy of the Battousai? 

Worthy of such that had not been seen in a decade—All because he had _demanded_ it?

They wouldn't even give him the **pleasure** of seeing the final stroke that would end his life. 

"Kenshin, _don't_!" 

The dragon wavered between vengeance, of becoming what they once were to rid her world of this threat when she made the decision for them by fainting. 

"Kaoru-dono!" 

The steel dropped from his hand and with it, the urge to kill Udou Jin-e. The dragon wanted to snuffle Kaoru over, make sure she was unharmed aside from her ragged breathing. Kenshin balked and the dragon snorted as it sank once more to the depths of Kenshin's soul.

* * *

He sheepishly showed up at the Higurashi Shrine, blood soaked through both the kimono and the juban. 

"This one requested that he stay unharmed," Sesshomaru grumbled even as the dragon, still disgruntled in being denied the kill, rumbled happily at the sight of their Daiyōkai. 

Two hearts, indeed. 

"He tried to remain safe, that he did, but one cannot count on the same such promises from his enemies." Kenshin admitted wryly as Kagome-dono clucked her tongue, Shippo made off with his top layers and Inuyasha draped his kariginu over Kenshin's uninjured shoulder and back. "Another hitokiri, Udou Jin-e, who killed for the sake of killing." 

"He is dead?" Sesshomaru inquired silkily, his youki looming heavy over the shrine. 

"Udou took his wakazashi to his chest after this one refused to show him the face of the Battousai once more. He was... He was close to resuming his past, that he was, when Kaoru-dono broke it. The dragon—We made a choice. Kaoru-dono or Udou and we chose her. He is sorry-" 

"What for?" Kagome-dono gently stroked his bangs out of his face and he exhaled shakily. 

"He is two worlds, two hearts, one mind and cannot decide. The dragon responded to both." 

"This one and Kaoru-dono? Equal?" 

"He doesn't understand, that he does not, that she dug her way so swiftly into his heart but he cannot forsake was what given to his Daiyōkai." 

"Heh, I know the answer to that." Inuyasha looked quite pleased with himself. "What? Oh yeah. It's the fact that its human kindness, offered because you're you, not anything you've done or said or-well, you know." 

"Kindness for the sake of it," Sesshomaru cut in, "This one can understand such an attachment. He also understands that his ryū-hanyō is part human and given to human feelings. She is... She is worthy of admiration, for her conscious, for her thoughts on swordsmanship and the way she teaches without judgement, past or present. The little pup, the one he stole from the yakuza, he is a successor that both can be proud of, should he grow well." 

"How can he be so...?" 

"This one is willing to bend like the bamboo in the winds of change instead of breaking like the oak. He has also heard of a trio, in the capital of the yōkai realm, that have sworn that while each may not love the other, the love between them is true." Sesshomaru offered, the mokomoko snaking over Kenshin's wrapped shoulder to warm his other side. "There may yet come a trio that makes such a statement truth. This one does not want to share his ryū-hanyō but if it makes him happy...? He would do many things to keep him so." 

Kenshin stopped fighting his exhaustion and relaxed as Sesshomaru curled around him. "He is not sure, that he is not, but that his Daiyōkai is devoted to him still is reassuring." 

"Wait, shit, Kagome?! We gotta talk!" Inuyasha yelped as he scrambled after Kagome-dono's footsteps.

* * *

Kenshin nuzzled deeper into the warmth surrounding him, reluctant to rise with the sun he knew was coming. 

"Hm-mm," 

"This one would inquire as to his objection?" Sesshomaru murmured, golden gaze half-lidded and sleep-warm in the grey light.

"He does not want to leave," Kenshin replied with a faint snort of laughter, "but leave he must. Breakfast in the Kamiya dojo does not go well with Kaoru-dono at its helm. She is a terrible cook, that she is." 

"Would he object if this one joined him?" 

"As he is?" 

"This one has enough youki to disguise himself, though rare is the opportunity to use it. Would they accept an old friend?" Sesshomaru propped himself up on his elbows above Kenshin with the familiar silver waterfall of hair pooling around them.

"He would see it first, that he may know it without pause." Kenshin decided, sword-callused thumb stroking over the magenta stripes he had grown very fond of over the years. 

Between the space of one breath, inhale to exhale, Sesshomaru _changed_. 

Dark hair pooled now, blue-black and collected into a high ponytail; gone were the crescent moon and stripes, gone was the mokomoko but—

The gold remained, a tenderness that rarely saw the light of day looking down on Kenshin still. Talonless fingers brushed aside his bangs to lay a kiss on Kenshin's forehead. "Does it agree with him? This form?" 

"He would inquire about the black," 

"Most common is black and brown amongst humans, even if this one is not such a being. His red is a dragon trait, passed down by his Okaa-san, if this one is any judge." Sesshomaru countered simply. 

"Oh?" 

"Yes. Does it agree with him?" His Daiyōkai's gaze was lined with a faint blue, brightening the gold against the black. 

Kenshin tugged him down for a kiss and yes, still the same fervor in his touch and form. "He agrees with it, that he does, but might he leave a note to forewarn?" 

"This one will leave such a note. Would he have it in green or in gold?" Sesshomaru gestured to his kimono, still the white-and-red. 

"Green, to compliment his eyes," Kenshin teased. 

"Then green he shall wear, to please his ryū-hanyō." 

"He must go but perhaps... perhaps after the sun has risen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	8. Of Past and Present Mistakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I didn't realize I had plenty more of this?! 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

He focused on breakfast, focused on mending his layers and resolutely did not think about his Daiyōkai coming to visit the dojo. 

Kaoru-dono corrected Yahiko-kun, nudging his hands in place as Kenshin set down breakfast. 

"A message for a Himura-san?" 

"That is for him, that it is," Kenshin unfolded the note and traced his eyes down Sesshomaru's elegant hentaigana. "Ah." 

"What's-Oh, that's practically antique, who writes like that anymore?" Sanosuke scoffed and Kenshin shook his head. 

"He was raised samurai and his family took great pleasure in being the best at the ancient forms," he omitted that Sesshomaru had likely been there for the invention of kanji altogether but refrained, "An old friend from the Revolution. Would Kaoru-dono allow him into to the dojo or should he meet elsewhere?" 

"A friend? He's more than welcome," Kaoru-dono replied easily, the indigo ribbon he'd carefully washed of blood in her hair again. "especially if he's a friend from your old days." 

Kenshin turned the note over, wrote a quick reply and sent the messenger off again with pay, small as it was. 

He turned to see the others all looking at him while he stirred the miso into the pot and pulled it off the fire. "He will get here when he gets here and not before, private as he is." 

A knock sounded as the first spoon dipped into breakfast and Kenshin was at the door almost immediately afterwards. 

"Sesshomaru-sama," he greeted easily with a half-bow. 

Sesshomaru clicked his tongue and embraced Kenshin, chin pillowed on Kenshin's crown as he held him close. "Himura-san, would he hide our affection?" 

"No, only that the others are watching and breakfast is getting cold." 

Kenshin was released as Sesshomaru took to his side instead, "He cooks well, that this one smelled it over the walls. How often does he share?" 

"None but the dojo and the Inutachi." 

"Hn," 

"May he present Sesshomaru-sama?" 

"This one is honored to meet the assistant master of Kamiya-Kashin-ryū, her pupil and her... guest." Sesshomaru stated quietly with a respectful if somewhat short bow, still pressed to Kenshin's side. 

"Why is _he_ -sama? You never-" Yahiko scoffed before Kaoru-dono slapped the back of his head. 

"This one would gladly show her pupil why he earned such respect, if she think will not ruin her lessons?" Sesshomaru offered, "Sparring with ... Himura-san." 

"He is familiar, use what he has offered, Sesshomaru," Kenshin chided absently, elbowing his Daiyōkai. 

"Calling him -sama, this one thought he had reversed it," Sesshomaru sniped back, " _Kenshin_." 

Kaoru-dono, Yahiko and Sanosuke watched the verbal volley as though it were a particularly interesting game of mahjong. 

"Only offering the respect he has earned," Kenshin huffed before adding slyly, "and the friendship, a bonus." 

The soft smile he got made him chuckle, "Breakfast first, then we spar."

* * *

Sesshomaru was the perfect guest, eating carefully but touching whenever it was reasonable with his knee pressed to Kenshin's own, passing the food into bowls just for Kenshin. 

Kenshin hummed faintly, following the polite conversation between Kaoru-dono and Sesshomaru. 

Sanosuke rose a brow at him but Kenshin was at peace, the dragon rumbling a faint approval that their Daiyōkai and their Kaoru-dono were together now, "How'd you two meet?" 

"Sanosuke-san!" Kaoru-dono chided, her expression mulish as she contemplated her boken on the other side of door. 

"This one does not mind it, if Kenshin does not either." Sesshomaru murmured in reply. 

"He does not mind, that he does not," Kenshin answered evenly, looking at Sanosuke with a raised brow of his own. To pry into each other's past when the unspoken rule had been to not—

Sesshomaru was going to correct the impulse and Kenshin would allow it to happen. 

"This one met him first during the Revolution, resting in a temple, eyes the same shade as this one's own." Sesshomaru began, "Exhausted from protecting Katsura-san and trailed by three onmitsu-" 

"Whoa, whoa-" Sanosuke looked to Kenshin with regret flashing across his features. Sesshomaru pressed on, implacable and radiating cool disdain. 

"which this one killed. Mayhap the Demon of Kyoto required rest when protecting something worthy." he finished quietly. 

Sanosuke grimaced, "Okay, I earned that. I'm sorry for asking." 

"He forgives him, that he does, but requests that any future inquires be made in good faith and not mistrust in one he trusts." Kenshin said with a sigh, leaning against Sesshomaru in a faint apology. "Sesshomaru is a very good friend and one of his oldest, that he is." 

"If this one may?" His Daiyōkai prodded. 

"Lay it on me, I already showed my ass," Sanosuke answered wryly. "I can learn." 

"This one admires such forwardness when amongst company." Sesshomaru hummed, "He finds that the occupants of this dojo are good for his oldest friend," Kenshin flushed and then Sesshomaru continued, the softening of his tone due to Kenshin himself, "even if they choose to go about it in rare form." 

"Oh." 

"I don't get it," Yahiko blurted, breaking the tension in the room as only a child could. 

"He means that even though he didn't appreciate the questioning, he does appreciate Sanosuke for trying to protect Kenshin even if he didn't need it, yes?" Kaoru-dono offered, turning to Sesshomaru to confirm. 

"This one agrees."

* * *

Sparring with Sesshomaru was an exhilarating experience, both of them careful to slow down their moves but still enjoying it. 

Yahiko watched with wide eyes as he tracked the moves, his swordsman's ki bright and active. 

Kaoru-dono offered that it was a draw when Kenshin knew the opposite to be true. 

"She is correct," Sesshomaru murmured against his sweaty neck, carefully but respectfully asking for a bath. "If it would not offend, this one and Kenshin would be clean to discuss the techniques?" 

"Of course!" 

"He will start the bath," Kenshin moved in the bath routine easily, faintly surprised when Sesshomaru collected the wood and helped him feed the flames. "He was losing, that he was," 

"He was even with this one, holding back. When it is wise to do so this one requests a match unfettered by mortal sight." The wash of unfiltered joy caught Kenshin square on and he shoved the wood a little harder into the opening than he would like. 

"He is shameless," Kenshin chided as his cheeks heated without the use of flames. 

"Hnn." Sesshomaru only shuffled closer, the curtain of dark hair so unlike his Daiyōkai but the eyes crinkled at the corners in amusement. "Perhaps there is something this one will require at a future point." Teeth nipped casually at his collarbone, the bruise fading within moments. "He enjoys us together, does he not, your Dragon?" 

Sesshomaru's youki spiked and Kenshin hissed, "Not here!" 

"His youki says otherwise, red as his heart." came the sly response. 

"When they are in the bath, perhaps," he allowed with a smile.

* * *

The intimacy of washing hair, Kenshin thought, should never be underestimated. With his fingers dug into the lush strands of Sesshomaru's hair and combing it through gently, he faintly missed the feel of the mokomoko. 

"He misses..." 

"what cannot be displayed here. Perhaps another time," Sesshomaru finished softly, golden gaze peering over a pale shoulder. "in a place that this one would relish seeing him in." 

The Foo Dog Palace. 

The place that Sesshomaru grew up in, where Sesshomaru's mother, the Inu no Kimi, resided still. 

"He would enjoy that, that he would, in a time yet to come." Kenshin hummed as he finished Sesshomaru's hair and gently rinsed it through. He laughed when Sesshomaru turned and returned the favor, carefully plucking out leaves and debris with clever fingers. 

The first drag of the bone comb through his length after it had been detangled fully nearly made him fall off the stool. 

"Hnn, so it is as good for him as it was for this one," Sesshomaru replied after they had begun their soak. 

Kenshin tucked himself into Sesshomaru's left side, cheek pillowed on his Daiyōkai's chest. He absently braided strands of their hair together, the red of his hair contrasting against the black Sesshomaru had chosen. 

Talonless fingers gently traced over the newest scar and familiar lips lifted in a soundless snarl. "This one would bring back Udou Jin-e if for nothing other than the pleasure of living up to his name. Such a fool marked what was close to him and deserves no less." 

"No," Kenshin snorted, "He is not worthy of a second death, that he is not." 

"... He is correct. To linger where the past lies in wait is a fool's endeavor; this one much prefers his present." 

"Sesshomaru," Kenshin melted under the quiet press of kisses to his neck and peppering his cheeks. "He is hale and well," 

"This one would remark that he is only checking," the teasing lilt made Kenshin laugh. 

"Of course he is," he quipped back, reluctantly removing the braid that bound them. 

"This one would ask," Sesshomaru hesitated so rarely that Kenshin took his face in hand. "Would he wear a token of affection?" 

"If he would but gift it, this one would wear it, that he would," Kenshin breathed out. 

Sesshomaru rumbled softly, contentment making his expression serene. "This one will give it to him later."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	9. Ceremony of the New Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoof! Long time no update but Work has been Busy! 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

Pressed into his hand, the large fang was strung on a leather string that he immediately pulled on. It settled over his sternum, gently knocking against the bone as he moved. 

"That is his fang," Sesshomaru offered, "with the potential for more." 

"He would give him such a gift? A blade?" 

"He is worthy of such a blade, should the Sakabatō break." came the smooth response, "Inuyasha will forge it for him." 

"Inuyasha?" Kenshin blinked at that, glancing at his Daiyōkai for a proper answer.

"For the past two hundred years, he has been forging swords for yōkai and Daiyōkai alike, learned from Tōtōsai. A master smith and the one who forged this one's Tenseiga. Inuyasha was well-suited as his nose tells him which will make good blades." 

"And the forge?" 

"Powered by the last flame of Tōtōsai, deep within the mountains. It is no Mt. Hakurei but it does well enough to keep humans out." 

"Mt. Hakurei?" 

"Hnn, did Inuyasha not mention it in his tale?" 

"He did but he would hear his Daiyōkai's side?" Kenshin hummed as Yahiko practiced his kata with a determined expression, glancing up to make sure they were looking. 

"This one did not enjoy such a place but he will tell it." Sesshomaru began, "The mountain was surrounded by a purification barrier for many ri*, though this one did not feel it for sometime." 

"Your youki, yes?" 

"Hn, yes. The higher it was, the more painful the barrier became," Sesshomaru spun the tale, gestures missing the familiar talons and the mokomoko, which would have flicked this way and that. 

Kenshin leaned his elbow on his knee, pillowed his cheek on his hand and happily listened.

* * *

After Sesshomaru said the appropriate goodbyes, Kaoru-dono looked at Kenshin and chided, "He's been here the whole time and you haven't invited him _once_?!" 

"Oro?" 

"Sesshomaru-sama was a wonderful guest!" She explained as she scrubbed at the dishes with extra vigor. 

"... He is not always in Japan, that he is not," Kenshin finally managed after a brief moment of stunned silence. "as he also has business on the mainland. It was only recently he sent such a missive, that he did." 

" _Oh_. Sorry Kenshin," Kaoru-dono apologized softly. "You two are really close, huh?" 

"He was fifteen to Sesshomaru's twenty-six. He worked for the Emperor as a messenger and guard for Imperial interests. As we met frequently in temples... He called this one ryū-hanyō," He volunteered absently, "this one called him a dog demon for his keen senses." 

"That's a long time to know someone." Kaoru-dono hummed. "Thank you for telling me that, Kenshin, I know that I shouldn't pry into your past—" 

"She cannot pry if it is freely given, that she cannot." Kenshin countered wryly. "He admires Sesshomaru deeply and would not imagine his life without such a companion." 

"I suppose I can only hope to reach such a friendship with you," She mused, scratching absently at a piece of rice. 

"He would gladly accept it," Kenshin confessed softly as he glanced down at the swirling, soapy water. 

The dragon within him crooned softly at her hopeful tone. He shoved it back into place, scrubbing the dishes with a little extra vigor and pink ears.

* * *

A few weeks after Sesshomaru's visit to the dojo, a missive arrived from the Higurashi Shrine, inviting them to dinner on the night of the next new moon. 

"What's a shrine doing inviting our dojo?" Sanosuke grimaced before Kaoru-dono swatted the back of his rooster head. "Ow!" 

"The Higurashi Shrine invited on his behalf, that they did," Kenshin chided softly, "Sesshomaru-sama is inviting us but subtly as to not attract attention." 

"Why that shrine?" 

"Mm, it's where we met, that it is," Kenshin murmured absently as he shaped the rice with his hands. 

"Oh, uh, this one's for you," Yahiko handed over a separate letter in Sesshomaru's elegant hentaigana. 

Kenshin tucked it away into his juban sleeve after he wiped down his hands. He stirred the miso paste into the pot, ladled out bowls and glanced up to see the other three sheepishly looking elsewhere. 

"He will read it when he can give it it's due but not before then," he replied to the unspoken question lingering in the air. 

"Okay," Yahiko reached for the soup without thought and Kaoru-dono cleared her throat, "Itadakimasu!" 

"Ma-ma, he's a growing boy," Kenshin laughed, gently ruffling Yahiko's hair. 

"Ack! _Kenshiiiin_!" 

The scuffle was a familiar one, even as he felt the weight of the letter in his sleeve.

* * *

He opened it on the roof, gently untying the ribbon and reading it over. 

_'As the moon seeks the sun, he is cordially invited to the current new moon to protect Inuyasha in his most vulnerable form. He is also advised to bring ramen from the kitsune stall next to the shrine as it is his honored brother's favorite.'_

It was signed, simply, _'Lord of the West and North'_

A secondary sheaf, much thinner than the first, was also placed this one much more Sesshomaru's style. 

_'Beloved ryū-hanyō,'_

_'It would please this one greatly if his company aligned with the new moon. This one would appreciate it over that of his clan; Foo Dogs can be equally as wild on the new as they are on the full.'_

_'His Daiyōkai'_

Kenshin gently traced his fingers over the dried ink, the lingering scent of deep forest making him sigh softly. He folded it back up, tied it again and tucked it away in his knapsack in his room. 

Kenshin flew across the roof tiles as though he were onmitsu to reach the shrine. He landed on the tori gate, the ball of his foot barely gracing the wood before he sprang up into the trees to land in the courtyard. 

He startled a patron and gave a slight bow as he waited for Kagome-dono. 

"... Ah, excuse me, sir, but swords are illegal." 

"He has permission, that he does, from the government." Kenshin answered smoothly, having practiced this particular lie many times through out the decade. 

"Oh." 

"Ah, Himura-san!" Kagome-dono cooed as she swept him into a hug. "I guess you recieved the letter?" 

"He did," Kenshin returned the hug, inhaling the familiar herbs-n-deep-forest of her scent as well, the familial scent of the yōkai brothers a secret comfort. "He is happy to report that he may attend the moon ceremony, that he is." 

"Wonderful!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.
> 
> *Ancient Japanese form of measurement


	10. Teahouse Subterfuge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Muses were obliging so here we are! 
> 
> All of the cuisine listed is traditional spring fare for Japan~ 
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

His fingertips glided over the blue kimono buried in his knapsack, clenched around the silk and then released. 

None of the Inutachi would judge, that he knew and knew well, but when had logic won over the heart? 

A cleared throat had Kenshin twisting on his knee and Sanosuke rose a brow at his hand still in the bag. 

Kenshin pulled out the fabric, gave a wry smile and said, "He is walking down a path that cannot be buried, that it cannot." 

"... Is that what I think it is?" 

"His old uniform from the Meiji, that it is. He is patching his kimono but patching time and again cannot do this one any good if he wants to look good as well. This is what he has." Kenshin admitted bluntly to Sanosuke. 

"Chosuu blue, huh? Not a bad look on you." came the wry response. "You know, for all that you do that whole serene, not-a-samurai-anymore thing, you sure are still samurai." 

Kenshin smoothed out the silk and murmured, "Still hitokiri." 

Sanosuke startled, his eyes wide under the red headband. "Huh?!" 

" _Hitokiri wa hitokiri_ ; like recognizes like, no matter the time or distance put into such." He paused, "He likely always will be and it is as a tiger forever chasing his tail for the thought that it too is an enemy." 

"That why you're leaning on Sesshomaru-sama instead of Missy in there?" 

Kenshin snorted, folded the kimono away and tucked it back in the knapsack. "He holds them in equal regard, that he does." 

Sanosuke tilted his head to look at Kenshin and murmured, "Guess you do." 

"He would take him at his word?" He prodded as he hefted the laundry basket up onto his hip and out to the washboard. 

The edge of the water curved without breaking against his hakama, a curious thing in the world of humans but one that Kenshin knew was the world of yōkai dropping in for a visit. 

"Well, I figure you're at least an honorable guy." Sanosuke grimaced and then muttered, "Dunno how that'd work with her—" 

Kenshin flushed, set the bucket on the ground and swatted Sanosuke with a flick of his hair. "He does not know, nor would he be adverse to trying but that is her prerogative, not his nor Sesshomaru's." 

"You gonna tell her?" 

"No." 

"... Considering she's Tanuki, I'm not surprised." 

"He is lucky she is busy, otherwise there would be a boken for his troubles," Kenshin reminded him with a faint huff of laughter. 

Besides, Kenshin had always considered Kaoru-dono a komainu, as loyal as Sesshomaru himself.

* * *

He made new zori and relegated his old set to cleaning duties. 

Kenshin broke them in by doing his morning errands, smiling at the shopkeepers and merchants as he picked out his vegetables in various markets. His spices he was more discerning about and often chose the market outside of the Higurashi Shrine. 

When met by Sesshomaru in the disguise they'd picked together, he smiled softly. 

"He looks like samurai still," Kenshin teased. 

The high, dark ponytail only highlighted his beloved Daiyōkai's cheekbones as far as Kenshin was concerned. He flicked a measuring glance at the police force with swords before returning his gaze to Sesshomaru. 

"This one sees them also," came the quiet reassurance. "He merely smelled his beloved on the wind and wished to see him." 

"Then consider this one pleased," he hummed as he handed over the basket with a smile. 

Sesshomaru rose a brow but accepted his fate as a basket holder, the smile tugging at his lips all Kenshin needed to dive back into the market. 

When Kenshin went to pay for his items he found only a lifted brow from his companion. 

"This one so rarely gets to spend time with his beloved ryū-hanyō," came the measured response, the faint flush making Kenshin croon softly under his breath. 

"So he pays for his spices?" 

"Hnn." 

"He is soft beneath the steel he presents," Kenshin remarked wryly to one shopkeeper who eyed Sesshomaru nervously. 

"Such illustrious company he keeps," came the reply, the whites of the man's eyes showing more than usual. 

"Oh? He sees through this one's youki." Sesshomaru stated dryly. "This one knows his company and it is worthy." 

"Ah, Itsuki-san!" Kagome-dono chirruped as she effortlessly tucked herself against Kenshin's free arm. "I see you've met my guests for the new moon ceremony~" 

"Yours, Higurashi-sama? He begs pardon-" 

"All is well," she continued, nudging them along carefully while smiling. "They merely wished to explore." 

At that, she herded them into the Tori gate and watched as the man's gaze clouded again. 

"Itsuki-san is of Miroku's blood, through not a direct descendant. Hardly anyone is these days, save for hanyō and Daiyōkai." She murmured. "He likely saw through Oniisan's youki and perhaps even yours, Himura-san. It comes and goes like the waves against the shore."

* * *

Kenshin set out after the morning meal, lost his tracker (in the form of Sanosuke) and met up with Sesshomaru on a bridge nearly out of Tokyo altogether. 

Tucked out of sight at a small yōkai inn that catered to those who couldn't disguise themselves, Kenshin and Sesshomaru shared a table. 

Thier server, a three-tailed kitsune, set down a menu in hentaigana and then looked up from her bow to squeak. 

"S-Sesshomaru-sama! Jaken-sama spoke of you at length arriving today but we did not believe him, milord," her ears flattened against her head. "Forgive her foolishness!" 

"This one does nothing without Jaken attending his matters in advance. Take heed in that," came the serene reply. 

"And milord next to him?" 

"Address him as you would this one's personage," 

"Lord," here she paused to sniff, "Ryū," 

"Sesshomaru," he chided, "he is merely Himura-san, that he is. He thanks her for her service and requests a fine silver tea if it is available, green if it is not." 

"This one would have the same." Sesshomaru looked him over with an unreadable expression before, "He would decline such titles?" 

"He is not married to his beloved Daiyōkai and such titles are not to be held by wielders of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū," Kenshin countered logically. "Neither fame nor fortune should be its goal." 

"Power corrupts?" Sesshomaru surmised quietly. 

"That it does and why he has chosen to wander, among other things," he admitted with a shrug. "He would merely sit and enjoy time with his Daiyōkai, that he would, sitting in the spring breeze." 

"She has his tea and Sesshomaru-sama's as well," 

"Forgive this one's cruel practice; he would also request miso and sakura mochi." Sesshomaru offered, never an apology so much as acknowledging his ill-manner. 

"... May she also suggest yomogi mochi as well?" The kitsune's ears lifted at the curt tone, tails fanning out. "Sesshomaru-sama?" 

"Hnn, she may bring it if it pleases her." 

The kitsune squeed as she bounded off to the kitchen, her bright white fur gleaming in the spring sun. 

Kenshin scooped up his cup, sat next to Sesshomaru and poured his beloved Daiyōkai's tea first, his own second. 

He wasn't expecting the soft growl nor being swept into strong arms but he chuckled nonetheless. 

"He is not going anywhere, that he is not," Kenshin snorted but stayed exactly where Sesshomaru had tucked him. He sipped at his tea from his vantage point and spotted the reason for the sweep in two large tiger demons. "Did he think this one interested in the others?" 

"He did not," The reverberating growl as the tigers perked up at the sight of Kenshin said otherwise. 

Kenshin pillowed his cheek against the mokomoko and said softly, "He is equal only to assistant master of the Kamiya-Kashin-ryū in this one's regard. There will not be any others." 

"Such demons would argue by force." 

Kenshin smiled sweetly, "This one is an apprentice of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū and his sword _is_ meant only for bruising." 

Sesshomaru barked out a laugh, letting Kenshin resume his spot by his side, "He is eminently practical." 

"He is also no fool, those yōkai are no threat to him or his beloved Daiyōkai. Likely they are speculating what company Sesshomaru-sama keeps and why they do not know him." Kenshin mentioned. 

Sesshomaru allowed a long huff to escape as he sipped his tea. Kenshin did so as well, allowing the liquid to roll across his tongue before he swallowed. 

Silver then-as he'd requested first-the light taste perfectly complimenting their place by the window. 

"Courtesy of the white tiger lords across the way, as a compliment to Sesshomaru-sama's companion, Himura-san," the kitsune server placed uguisu mochi down as well as their order. 

"This one would inquire as to what sort of compliment." Sesshomaru stated, silk-coated steel as his youki flared subtly. 

"His companion's beauty and bravery, as they know of Milord's reputation." She relayed carefully. 

Kenshin gave thanks and gently shooed her along, a smile playing about his lips. "If he would indulge this one?" 

"... He would." Kenshin picked up the mochi and offered it, chuckling as Sesshomaru caught on and opened his mouth to take a bite. They nibbled careful between the two of them until it was gone. 

Sesshomaru gently wiped at the corners of Kenshin's mouth with his thumbs and cleaned any trace of mochi by licking it away. Laughter sat clear in his gaze as soon as he'd figured out the game. 

The tigers squalled in outrage while Kenshin slowly shared at least one bite of the mochi they'd sent over, enjoying the anko flavor. 

The feeling of being the cat–or in this case the dragon–who'd gotten the cream, the chicken and the fish for dinner was quite nice, upon further reflection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


End file.
